Samantha Parrington (Earth-616)
Real name: Samantha Parrington Nicknames: Val Former aliases: No known former aliases Other current aliases: No other known current aliases Status Occupation: Heiress, adventurer Legal status: U.S.A. Identity: Secret Marital status: Unknown Group affiliation: Defenders Base of operations: Base of operations unknown Origin Incredible Hulk #142 (1971); Defenders #2-4 (2001); The Order #1 (2002) Place of birth: Unrevealed Known relatives: Reginald Parrington (father), Malicia Parrington (mother) First appearance: Incredible Hulk #142 (1971) History Born into a wealthy family of eccentric philanthropists, Samantha Parrington grew into an idealistic feminist. When her parents adopted the monstrous Hulk as their latest pet cause, Samantha formed a rapport with the misunderstood brute and helped talk him down from the Statue of Liberty, though her father took all the credit for this feat in the media. Miffed, Sam led her women's group in an anti-patriarchal protest that attracted the attention of Hulk's enemy, Amora the Enchantress. Amora magically transformed Samantha into a raging, man-hating facsimile of the Asgardian warrior goddess Brunnhilde the Valkyrie, whose form and might Amora could replicate at will, having trapped Brunnhilde's soul in a mystical crystal centuries earlier. As the ersatz Valkyrie, Samantha battled the Hulk to a standstill until the spell wore off, returning her to normal just as Hulk reverted to his human form of Bruce Banner. The confused pair parted awkwardly, neither fully recalling their battle, with Samantha half-convinced it was all a dream. When the rogue god Pluto sought a Valkyrie pawn, he had Amora's sister Lorelei transform Samantha Parrington into the Valkyrie again. However,Pluto tricked Lorelei though, erasing her memory, draining her powers and turning her into a duplicate of Valkyrie. While Samantha was used by Pluto to turn Earth into a realm of the dead, Lorelei was found by the Defender Nighthawk, who believed she was the real Valkyrie and made her a Defender, though she never spoke. Mean while a mind-controlled Samantha served Pluto and Lorelei until they ran afoul of the reunited Defenders and Brunnhilde, who routed Pluto and Lorelei but only after Samantha battled Lorelei, she was restored to her former self and shook off their control. Happy to have a worthy successor on Earth, Brunnhilde returned to Asgard and Samantha joined the Defenders as their new Valkyrie. Her parents have tried to support her new superheroic pursuits by offering the Defenders funding, equipment and well-intentioned meddling. Brunnhilde, sadly, was among the many slain during a recent Asgardian revolt staged by Loki in fulfillment of the Ragnarok prophecies; but her proud heroic legacy lives on through Samantha Parrington. Characteristics Height: 6'3" (as Val); 5'7" (as Sam) Weight: 475 lbs. (as Val); 130 lbs. (as Sam) Eyes: Blue Hair: Blonde Unusual features: No unusual features Powers Powers: The Valkyrie possesses the conventional attributes of an Asgardian woman ("goddess"). Like all Asgardians she is extremely long lived (although not immortal like the Olympians), superhumanly strong, immune to all Earthly diseases, and resistant to conventional injury. (Asgardian flesh and bones are about three times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to all Asgardian superhuman strength and weight ) Her asgardian metabolism gives her far greater than human endurance at all physical activities: she can exert peak strength for an hour before fatigue impairs her ability level. Like all Valkyries, she can perceive and sense the coming of Death. She can see a "deathglow" surrounding a person who is in serious danger of dying, although most Asgardians and human beings cannot see the glow. A person surrounded by the deathglow might still be saved from dying (until he or she meets his or her inevitable end at some later time under different circumstances). She can transport herself and a dying or dead person from the Earth dimension to an otherdimensional realm of the dead, just by willing herself to do so. She can also return through an act of will. Abilities: Samantha Parrington can change from her mortal form into a copy of Brunnhilda's form. In this form, she has all the powers and skills that Brunnhilda has. The Valkyrie has had extensive training in unarmed combat swordplay, and horseback riding. Her natural fighting ability is unsurpassed among Asgardian women, and is perhaps equaled only by Sif. Strength level: The Valkyrie possesses superhuman strength and can lift (press) 45 tons. (The average Asgardian female can lift about 25 tons.) Miscellaneous Equipment: No known equipment. Transportation: Valkyrie rides a winged horse by the name of Aragorn. Aragorn was given to her by the current Black Knight. Weapons: Valkyrie carries two weapons of choice. 1. An enchanted sword named Dragonfang. The blade was fashioned from a tooth of an extra-dimensional dragon. 2. An unamed iron spear. Notes * Valkyrie is a fictional character and Marvel Comics superheroine. An Asgardian goddess by birth, her real name is Brunnhilde. Among her other aliases are Barbara Denton-Norriss, Samantha Parrington and Sian Bowen who all were host bodies to the spirit of Brunnhilde. For much of her history she was a mainstay of superhero team known as the Defenders. Samantha Parrington, a previous host to Brunnhilde, later received the Valkyrie powers herself and became a member of the Defenders as the Valkyrie (II). Trivia * Recommended Readings *Temporarily transformed into Valkyrie by Enchantress, battled Hulk (Incredible Hulk #142, 1971); restored to Valkyrie form by Pluto and Lorelei, used as pawn against Defenders before shaking off control of Pluto and Lorelei, met original Valkyrie Brunnhilde, given Dragonfang and Aragorn by Brunnhilde, joined Defenders (Defenders #2-4, 2001); background explored, reconnected with parents, battled The Order alongside Defenders and other allies, helped save world from Yandroth (The Order #1-6, 2002) Related Articles * External Links * References * ---- Category:Characters